<«*? 





THE CHILD JESUS. JLuke U. 40. 



STORIES AND PICTURES 



FROM THE 



LIFE OF JESUS 



BY 

PANSY (MRS. G. R. ALDEN) 

Author of " Ester Reid," " Spun From Fact, 
" Four Girls at Chautauqua," Etc. 




BOSTON 
D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY 

FRANKLIN AND HAWLEY STREETS 



Copyright, 1886, 

by 

D. Lothrop & Company. 



16 \ 



CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Birth of Christ 7 

The Childhood of Jesus • 11 

Ministry of John the Baptist 17 

Jesus of Nazareth 21 

The Draught of Fishes 27 

The Centurion's Faith 31 

The Widow of Nain 37 

The Friend of Sinners 41 

Return of the Seventy 47 

The Good Samaritan 51 

Importunity in Prayer 55 

Warning against Covetousness 59 

Warning against Formalism 65 

The Gospel Feast 7 j 

The Prodigal Son 77 

The Rich Man and Lazarus 83 

The Ten Lepers g q 

Whom the Lord receives 



Zaccheus the Publican. 



93 

97 

Judaism Overthrown qq 

The Lord's Supper T o 3 

The Cross Ioq 

The Walk to Emmaus 115 

The Saviour's Last Words 121 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 

The Child Jesus Frontispiece 

The Wise Men seeking Christ 9 

)esus in the Temple, teaching the Doctors... 13 

Baptism of Jesus 19 

Jesus in the Temple, reading the Bible...... 23 

Miraculous Draught of Fishes 29 

The Centurion . _ . . ^ 

Jesus raiseth the Widow's Son 39 

Mary Magdalene anointing the Feet of Jesus. . 43 

And when Ye come into an House, etc 49 

The Good Samaritan 53 

Secret Prayer 57 

Consider the Lilies, how they grow 61 

Jesus eating with Publicans and Sinners 67 

Jesus and his Disciples on the Road to Caesarea. 73 

Return of the Prodigal Son 79 

Lazarus at the Rich Man's Door. 85 

Jesus curing the Ten Lepers 91 

The Pharisee and the Publican 95 

Jesus foretelleth the Destruction of the Temple. 101 

The Last Supper 105 

The Crucifixion . in 

Jesus and the Disciples at Emmaus 119 

Jesus appears to his Disciples 123 



BIRTH OF CHRIST. 

ONE night certain shepherds were out 
in the fields taking care of their 
sheep. Suddenly they saw a light brighter 
than the sun, and in the glory of the light, 
an angel. They felt afraid. 

But the angel spoke to them ; he said : 
" Fear not. I have good news for you, and 
for all the people in the world. There was 
born to-day, in the city of Bethlehem, a lit- 
tle child who is to be a Saviour ; his name 
is Christ the Lord. You will find him ly- 
ing in a manger." As he spoke, suddenly 
there appeared a great company of angels, 
and they sang: " Glory to God in the high- 
7 



BIRTH OF CHRIST. 



est, and on earth, peace, good will toward 



men." 



When the angels were gone back to 
Heaven, the shepherds said to one another: 
" Let us go right away to Bethlehem, and 
find this wonderful baby that the Lord has 
sent word to us about." 

So they started in haste. When they 
reached Bethlehem, they found the stable, 
and the manger, and there was the baby 
with his mother. Then the shepherds told 
what the angels had said and sung. The 
people wondered at it ; the mother remem- 
bered every word, and thought about what 
it all meant. Then the shepherds went 
back to their work, praising God as they 
went, for all that He had told them, and 
for all that they had seen. 



THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS. 

THE child Jesus grew strong in body 
and mind. He was so unlike any 
other child that he was "filled with wis- 
dom." God's favor was with him all the 
time. When he was twelve years old he 
went with his father and mother to Jeru- 
salem to the great yearly feast called the 
Passover. Having been there eight days, 
they started for home. But Jesus stayed 
behind at Jerusalem. His father and 
mother didn't know it ; they supposed him 
to be with some of the friends, but at night 
when they stopped to rest, they found he 
was not to be found. They went among 
the friends and acquaintances who were 



12 THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS. 

travelling with them, but they got no news 
of him ; so they turned back towards Jeru- 
salem, looking for him all the way. In this 
way three days passed; then they found 
their son sitting in the church among the 
learned men, listening and asking ques- 
tions. And the people who listened were 
astonished at the questions which Jesus 
asked, and at the words which he spoke. 
When his parents saw him, they were very 
much astonished. His mother said to him : 
" My son, why did you treat us in this way? 
Your father and I have hunted for you in 
great sorrow." 

Then he made this strange answer: 
" How is it that you sought me ? Didn't 
you know that I must be about my Father's 
business?" 



THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS. 15 

They didn't understand what he meant ; 
they forgot that their son was not simply a 
boy ; he was God. But he came at once 
from the church, and went home with them, 
and obeyed his father and mother in every- 
thing. But his mother never forgot any of 
the strange words that he spoke. 



MINISTRY OF JOHN THE 
BAPTIST. 

\ "^ 7HEN Jesus had grown to be a 
* * young man, there came a minister 
through the country about Jordan, preach- 
ing to the people that they must repent 
and be baptized. Some thought he was 
the Christ for whom they had been waiting. 
But he said to them : " I baptize you with 
water, but there is coming one, so much 
mightier than I, that I am not even worthy 
to untie his shoes [this was the work of 
the lowest servant] ; He will baptize you 
with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He 
will make clean the hearts of his people. 
He will gather them in as wheat is gath- 
ered into the garner. But the wicked will 
17 



iS MINISTR V OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

be like chaff which is burned up, with a fire 
that cannot be put out. Many other sol- 
emn things, also, this minister preached to 
the people. A man named Herod, ruler 
over part of the country, was angry with 
John because he had been reproved for 
many sins, among them marrying a woman 
whom he had no right to marry ; and he 
put John in prison. But before that hap- 
pened, one day, when John had been 
preaching and baptizing many people, 
Jesus came, and asked to be baptized also; 
and as he was praying, a wonderful thing 
happened. The Holy Ghost came down 
out of heaven in the form of a dove, and 
rested on Jesus, and a voice out of heaven 
said: " Thou art my beloved son; in thee 
I am well pleased." 




BAPTISM OF JESUS. — Matt. iii. 16. 



JESUS AT NAZARETH. 

T li TE find Jesus to-day in Nazareth, 
* * where he lived in his boyhood. 
It is the Sabbath-day, and he has gone to 
church, and stands reading to the people 
from the Bible. He read in the book 
named Isaiah ; read about himself. These 
are the words : " The Spirit of the Lord is 
upon me, because He hath anointed me to 
preach the gospel to the poor; He hath 
sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to 
preach deliverance to the captives, and re- 
covering of sight to the blind, to set at lib- 
erty them that are bruised, to preach the 
acceptable year of the Lord." When he 
had read these wonderful words he closed 

21 



.2 JESUS AT NAZARETH. 

the book, and gave it to the minister, and 
sat down. All the people looked at him, 
wondering what he would say. Then he 
began to talk. He told them that the 
promises he had been reading to them 
were fulfilled. All listened and wondered 
at the tender and beautiful words that he 
spoke. They whispered to each other, say- 
ing, " Isn't this Joseph's son?" Then he 
said to them : " You will surely remind me 
of the proverb, ' Physician, heal thyself.' 
Do some of the wonderful things here that 
we have heard of you doing in Capernaum. 
But, remember, no prophet is highly 
thought of in his own country. Remem- 
ber that during that time of famine in Is- 
rael, when it didn't rain for three years and 
six months, there were many widows, but 




JESUS IN THE TEMPLE, READING THE BIBLE. — Luke iv.. l6. 



JESUS AT NAZARETH. 25 

the prophet Elijah was sent only to one at 
Sarepta, a city of Sidon. And there were 
many lepers in Israel while the prophet 
Elisha lived there; but Naaman, the Sy- 
rian, was the only one that was cured." 

This preaching made the people angry, 
and they started up in wrath and thrust 
him out of their city, and wanted to push 
him headlong down the hill on the top of 
which Nazareth was built. But just there 
he showed his power, in passing quietly 
through the crowd of angry people, hold- 
ing them back by the power of his gaze, 
and went away. 



THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES. 

JESUS stood by the shore of Lake Gen- 
nesaret, and the people pressed about 
him, to hear him talk about God. He saw 
two ships near the water ; they were empty, 
for the fishermen to whom they belonged 
were gone to wash their nets. One of the 
ships belonged to a man named Simon. 
Jesus stepped into it, and when Simon 
came asked him to push out a little from 
the shore ; then he sat down in the ship 
and taught the people. When the sermon 
was over he said to Simon : " Push out now 
where it is deep, and let down your net." 
Simon answered : " We have been at work 
all night, Master, and have caught no fish ; 
but we will do as you say." So they let 
27 



28 THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES. 

down the net into the water, and at once it 
became so full of fish that it began to 
break. Then Simon an4 the other fisher- 
man called to their partners, who were in 
the other ship, to come and help. They 
came and filled both the ships with fish; 
then the ships began to sink. Simon 
Peter, seeing that, fell on his knees and 
began to pray ; he said : " Depart from me, 
for I am a sinful man, O Lord." He 
meant that he was not worthy to be near 
the Lord. He was astonished and fright- 
ened, and so were the others. The names 
of the others were James and John, and 
they were the sons of Zebedee. Jesus 
spoke kindly and tenderly to Simon ; he 
said: " Fear not; after this you shall catch 
men." 




MUSM llll 



THE CENTURION'S FAITH. 

X TEXT we find Jesus at Capernaum. 

*■ ^ A certain Roman military officer 
lived there, who had a servant lying very 
sick. The officer loved his faithful servant 
a great deal, and saw that he was going to 
die. He had heard of Jesus, and he sent 
some of the elders to him, begging that he 
would come and cure the sick man. The 
messengers came to Jesus and urged him 
to go at once to the sick one ; they told 
him how kind the officer had been to their 
people ; he had even built them a church. 
Then Jesus went with them. When they 
were near the house, other friends came 
3 1 



32 THE CENTURION'S FAITH. 

out to meet the Saviour, and presently the 
officer came himself. He was very hum- 
ble; he told Jesus that he did not feel him- 
self worthy to have so great a man in his 
house ; that he did not want to trouble him 
to go there, and at first he thought he 
ought not even to come to him, troubling 
him; but he begged that Jesus would just 
then and there speak a word that should 
cure his servant. He said that he was a 
man in authority, having servants who 
obeyed orders; so Jesus, he believed, had 
but to give orders, and his invisible ser- 
vants would obey him. Jesus wondered at 
his faith. 

He turned, and said to the people 
who were following : " I haven't found 
such great faith as this in all Israel." 




the centurion. — Matt. viii. 8. 



THE CENTURION'S FAITH. 35 

Some of those who had been sent to Jesus, 
now reached the house where the sick man 
had lain, and behold he was well ! This 
interesting story is also told in Matthew 
viii. 5-13. 



THE WIDOW OF NAIN. 

ONCE Jesus went to the city of Nain. 
His disciples went with him. Many 
people followed him. As he reached the 
city gate he met a funeral procession. It 
was a long procession, for the young man 
who was dead had been his mother's only 
son, and she was a widow. The people 
were very sorry for her. Jesus, when he 
saw her, felt very sorry for her, too. He 
spoke to her. He said, "Weep not." 
Then he went towards the frame on which 
the dead body was laid, and touched it ; 
and the men who were carrying it stood 
still, and Jesus spoke to the dead; he said, 

37 



3S THE WIDOW OF NAIN. 

"Young man, I say unto thee, arise." Im- 
mediately the dead man sat up and spoke 
to Jesus ; and Jesus called his mother to 
him. This wonderful thing made the peo- 
ple afraid ; they said, " A great prophet 
has come among us." And they praised 
God for sending him. This story was told 
all over the country, and for many miles 
around. When the people came together 
they said, " Have you heard how that poor 
widow who lives in Nain had her son given 
back to her after he was dead ? " 




JESUS RAISETH THE WIDOW'S SON. Luke vii. 14-15. 



THE FRIEND OF SINNERS. 

JESUS was invited to dine with a man 
named Simon. While at table, a poor 
woman came in and poured sweet-smelling 
ointment over the feet of Jesus, weeping so 
that she washed his feet with her tears. 
Simon did not like this, for the woman was 
very wicked. He thought if Jesus were a 
prophet he would know what sort of a 
woman this was, and would not allow her 
to touch him. Jesus saw these thoughts 
in his heart, and told him he had some- 
thing to say to him. Then he told him 
this story : " There was once a man who 
was owed by two men ; one owed him five 
41 



4 2 THE FRIEND OF SINNERS. 

hundred pence, and the other fifty. Both 
were poor, having nothing with which to 
pay their debt. The good man knowing 
this, forgave them both. Tell me, which 
of them will love him most ? " 

" Why," said Simon, " I suppose the one 
who owed the most." 

" Yes," said Jesus, "that is true. Simon, 
do you see this poor woman ? You gave 
me no water to wash my feet, but she has 
washed them with her tears, and wiped 
them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, 
but she continues to kiss my feet. You 
did not even anoint my head, but she has 
anointed my feet. Now I tell you this : 
her sins which are many, are forgiven, for 
she loves me very much. If people feel 
that they have but little to be forgiven, 



THE FRIEND OF SINNERS. 45 

they have but little love." Then he spoke 
to the woman ; he said : " Your sins are 
forgiven." Those who were sitting with 
him at table began to say among them- 
selves, " Why, who is this man who can 
forgive sins ? " Jesus spoke again to the 
woman, he said : " Thy faith hath saved 
thee ; go in peace." 



RETURN OF THE SEVENTY. 

r~^EVENTY people were sent out in 
^-^ many directions to tell the people of 
the Lord Jesus. They had blessed meet- 
ings. They came back rilled with joy. 
They told Jesus that they had found even 
devils who had to obey their words when 
they spoke in his name. Jesus told them 
that he had long known that Satan would 
be subject to him. Also he promised 
them that nothing should hurt them in 
their work, neither that serpent Satan, nor 
any of his helpers. But he reminded them, 
that though they had such great power 
given them, there was something better 

47 



4S RETURN OF THE SEVENTY. 

than that for them to rejoice over forever: 
that their names were written in heaven. 
Then Jesus, with great joy in his heart, 
thanked God that he had hidden many 
things from the worldly-wise and the self- 
ishly prudent, and had made them known 
to the humble-hearted who were willing to 
be like little children and learn of him. 
He reminded his disciples that no man 
knew about the mysteries of Gocl, but that 
all things were delivered to him, and that 
no one could understand the Father unless 
he made him plain to their hearts. And 
he said to those disciples aside, " Blessed 
are the eyes which see the things that you 
see ; many prophets and kings desired to 
see them, but were not permitted." 




AND WHEN YE COME INTO AN HOUSE, SALUTE IT. — Matt. X. 12, 



THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 

\ LAWYER once asked Jesus who 
*■ *- was his neighbor, and Jesus told 
him this story : — " Once a man went from 
Jerusalem to Jericho, and on the road he 
met a party of thieves. They stripped his 
clothes from him ; they wounded him, and 
at last went away, leaving him lying half 
dead. A little while after a certain minis- 
ter passed that way ; he saw the man, but 
he crossed the street and went on. Then 
there came a Levite ; he stopped and 
looked at the poor man, and then he too 
crossed the street and went on his way. 
Then there came a Samaritan ; he stopped 
and looked at the poor man, and his heart 
was filled with pity. The man was noth- 
5 1 



52 THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 

ing to him, not even one of his own nation ; 
but he bound up his wounds, pouring oil 
and wine on them to soothe the pain ; then 
he lifted the man to his own horse and took 
him to a place where he could be taken care 
of. In the morning before he went on his 
journey, he took from his pocket some 
money, and gave it to the host, and asked 
him to have the sick man taken care of, and 
whatever he had to spend for him, when he 
came that way again he would pay the bill." 

" Now," said Jesus, " which of these 
three people do you think treated the poor 
man like a neighbor ? " 

" Why," said the lawyer, " the one who 
took care of him." 

" Then," said Jesus, " see that you follow 
his example." 




,«i«iiiiiif 



IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER. 

A T one time when Jesus was with his 
^ *■ disciples they asked him to teach 
them to pray. Having talked with them a 
little about the Lord's Prayer, he illus- 
trated prayer by the following : 

Said he : " Suppose you had a friend to 
whom you should go one night at mid- 
night, and ask him to lend you three loaves 
of bread, for a friend had arrived unex- 
pectedly, and you had nothing for him. 
Suppose he should answer, ' Don't trouble 
me ; I've shut my house for the night, and 
my children and I are in bed ; I can't 
get up and attend to you.' Now I tell 
you, though he wouldn't attend to you on 
55 



56 IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER. 

account of friendship, yet if you persist in 
urging your need he will get up and give 
you what you want. Now I say to you : 
ask and it shall be given you ; seek and ye 
shall find ; knock and it shall be opened 
unto you. Every one that asks shall 
receive ; he who seeks shall find ; to him 
who knocks it shall be opened. Suppose 
your son asks for a piece of bread, would 
you give him a stone? Suppose he asks 
for a fish, would you give him a serpent? 
If he ask for an egg, would you give him a 
scorpion ? Now, if you with evil hearts and 
ignorant minds, yet know enough to take 
care of your children and give them proper 
things, don't you suppose that your Heav- 
enly Father knows what you need, and will 
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him ? " 




SECRET PRAYER. Matt. vi. 6. 



WARNING 
AGAINST COVETOUSNESS. 

JESUS had been talking about the lov- 
ing care of the Heavenly Father, and 
one of the listeners interrupted him with a 
request that he would talk to his brother 
and get him to divide equally between them 
the property that had been left. Jesus 
asked him who he thought made him a 
judge, or a divider over them; and then, 
by the story he told them, he showed the 
covetous thought that was in the man's 
heart. He reminded them that the im- 
portant thing in a man's life was not to 

59 



60 AGAINST COVETOUSNESS. 

have a great deal of property. Said he : 
" There was a certain man who grew rich ; 
his harvests were so great that he won- 
dered what he should do with all his oram. 
At last he decided to pull down his barns 
and build larger ones, and then say to his 
soul, ' Soul, you have plenty of food, 
enough to last you many years ; take your 
ease, eat, drink, and be merry.' But just 
then God spoke to him ; He said, ' Foolish 
man, this night your soul shall be called 
to leave the body ; then who will have all 
these things which you have provided?' — 
Now," said Jesus, " the man who plans for 
himself, laying up treasures for himself, 
and has none of the riches that God could 
give him, is like this poor, foolish man in 
the story." Then He turned to His dis- 







m 






. 



AGAINST COVETOUSNESS. f^ 

ciples and told them they need not be 
anxious as to what they should eat, or wear; 
there were more important things than 
that; living meant more than simply keep- 
ing the body alive and clothed. 



WARNING 
AGAINST FORMALISM. 

JESUS was travelling through the cities 
and villages on his way to Jerusalem, 
teaching as he went. One day a man 
asked him whether few or many people 
would be saved. Jesus answered that he 
must strive to enter in at the strait gate, 
for many would try some other way and 
would not get in. He said, "It was like a 
feast spread for guests ; and when once the 
master of the house had closed the door, 
no more could get in. Those who stood 

65 



66 WARNING AGAINST FORMAIISM. 

outside saying, ' Lord, Lord, open the door 
for us,' would only be answered with, ' I 
don't know you.' They might answer, 
' We have eaten and drank with you, and 
you have taught in our streets,' for some of 
these people who would not follow Jesus 
had sat at table with him and heard his 
teachings. But he said the answer to any 
such would be, 'I don't know you; go 
away, you are wicked people.' — Then," 
said Jesus, " there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth ; " Abraham, and Isaac, 
and Jacob would be inside, the prophets 
that these people pretended to obey and 
honor ; but these who would not come to 
Him by the right way would be thrust out 
People from the north and south, and east 
and west, shall come together and sit down 



WARNING AGAINST FORMAIISM. 69 

in God's kingdom. The Gentiles, who 
were the last to hear the good news, shall 
be among the first in heaven, and some of 
the Jews (God's dear people who would 
not love Him) will not get in. 



THE GOSPEL FEAST. 

/^ANE Sabbath-day Jesus was taking din- 
^-^ ner at the house of a Pharisee. He 
talked with the people at the table about 
humility of manner at the great feasts 
which were given in those days. Then 
one of the company said to him, " Blessed 
is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom 
of God." I do not think he meant heaven, 
but rather the kingdom that he hoped the 
Messiah would set up on the earth. Jesus 
answered him in the form of a story about 
a man who made a great supper, sending out 
71 



72 THE GOSPEL EEAST. 

many invitations. When everything was 
ready he sent for his guests to come, and 
every one of them sent an excuse. One 
said he had bought a piece of ground and 
must go and see it, and begged to be ex- 
cused ; another said he had bought five 
yoke of oxen, and he was going to prove 
them, — he must beg to be excused; 
another said he had just been married and 
couldn't come. When the servant came 
back to tell his master how all these had 
treated his invitation, the master was angry. 
He told his servants to go out quickly 
through the streets and bring all the lame 
people, and the blind people, and the poor 
people of every sort. So the servant did 
as he was told ; but he said to his mas- 
ter, " There is room yet." So the master 



THE GOSPEL FEAST. 75 

told him to go out in the highways and 
hedges, and coax people to come to the 
supper, and fill the house, for none of those 
who were first invited should be allowed to 
taste of the supper. 



THE PRODIGAL SON. 

JESUS once, in teaching the people, 
told this story: — "A man had two 
sons ; the younger of them asked his father 
to give him the part of the property that 
would finally belong to him. So the 
father divided his wealth between them. 
A few days after that the younger son 
went a long journey, taking all his money 
with him ; but he wasted it in wild and 
foolish living. When it was all gone there 
came a great famine to that country, and 
the foolish young man had nothing to live 
on. He went looking for work, and a man 
hired him to take care of swine. He was 

77 



7S THE PRODIGAL SON. 

so hungry that he was willing to eat the 
husks that the swine had for food ; and no 
one gave anything to him. Then he began 
to think of his home, and to remember how 
his father's servants had plenty to eat, and 
here he was starving ! -Then he said, ' I 
will arise and go to my father, and I will 
say to him, Father, I have sinned against 
heaven and before you. I am not worthy 
to be called your son; let me be one of 
your hired servants.' So he went on his 
journey home. When he was yet a great 
way from the house, his father saw him 
and ran out to meet him, and put his arms 
around him and kissed him. Then the 
son said, ' Father, I have sinned against 
heaven and against you ; I am not worthy 
to be called your son.' But the father 




RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON. Luke XV. 20. 



THE PRODIGAL SON. Si 

said, 4 Bring the best clothes in the house 
for him to wear, and put a ring on his 
hand, and shoes on his feet, and have the 
fatted calf killed, and make a feast, and let 
us eat and drink and be merry ; for my son 
was the same to me as dead, and now he is 
alive again ; he was lost, but now he is 
found.' And they were merry." 



THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 

TN order to explain to his disciples that 
-*• there were two worlds for souls, Jesus 
once told them this story : — " There was a 
rich man who wore elegant clothing and 
lived richly every day. There was a poor, 
sick beggar, named Lazarus, lying at his 
gate. He wanted the crumbs which were 
left from the rich man's table. His body 
was full of sores, and the dogs used to 
come and lick them. One day this poor 
man died, but God sent his angels and car- 
ried him to heaven. Then the rich man 
died, and was buried. His soul went to 
hell. One day, while he was in that, place 
83 



84 THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 

of pain and torment, he looked up, and 
away off he saw heaven, and Lazarus the 
beggar was there, with his head on Abra- 
ham's bosom. He called to him : ' Father 
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send 
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water 
and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in 
this flame.' But Abraham said : ' Son, 
remember that while you were living you 
had plenty of good things, while Lazarus 
suffered at your gate. Now he is happy,- 
and you are suffering. And, besides, 
there is a great gulf between you and us, 
so that if we wanted to come to you we 
could not ; neither can you come here from 
that place.' Then the rich man said, ' I 
pray you send him to my father's house 
to tell my five brothers about this dreadful 




LAZARUS AT THE RICH MAN'S DOOR. — Luke XVI. 19, 



THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 8] 

place, so they need not come here.' But 
Abraham said, ' Why, they have the story of 
that place. Moses wrote about it, and the 
Prophets wrote about it ; let them read it.' 
But the rich man said, ' O, Father Abra- 
ham, if one went back to them from the 
dead, they would repent.' ' No,' said Abra- 
ham, ' if they will not believe God's own 
word, as Moses and the Prophets wrote it 
in the Bible, neither would they believe if 
one went to them from the dead.' " 



THE TEN LEPERS. 

/^VNE day Jesus, on his journey to Jeru- 
^-^ salem, passed through a village in 
Samaria. He saw ten men who had the 
leprosy; they kept away from all other 
people, as the law obliged them to. But 
when they saw Jesus, they called out with 
loud voices, " Jesus, Master, have mercy on 
us ! " Jesus said to them, " Go show your- 
selves to the priest." This was what peo- 
ple who were cured of leprosy were obliged 
to do before they could go among the peo- 
ple. The priest had to give them a certif- 
icate to say that they were cured. As 
these ten men turned to go to the priest, 



9 o THE TEN LEPERS. 

as Jesus had told them, suddenly they 
found that they were well. One of them, 
as soon as he found it out, turned back 
and followed after Jesus, and when he 
reached him he bowed down at his feet, 
thanking him and praising God. He was 
from a Samaritan village ; not one of the 
Lord's chosen people, but a Gentile. Jesus 
said to him, " Didn't I cure fen men ? 
Where are the nine ? Not one of them 
came back to thank me, except this Samar- 
itan." Then he said to the kneeling man, 
" Arise, and go on your way ; your faith 
hath made you whole." 




JESUS CURING THE TEN LEPERS. Lllke XVH. 14. 



WHOM THE LORD RECEIVES. 

\li 7"HEN Jesus was on earth he met 
* * some people who thought that 
they were perfect, and they despised other 
people. One day he told them this story : 
— " There were two men who went to the 
temple one day to pray. One of them was 
a Pharisee, the other a publican. The 
Pharisee said, ' God, I thank thee that I 
am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, 
adulterers, or even as this man beside me. 
I fast twice in the week, and I give a tenth 
of all that I have.' Then the publican 
prayed : he did not even go close to the 
holy place : he kept his eyes on the ground, 
and he struck his breast, which was a sign 
93 



04 WHOM THE LORD RECEIVES. 

of deep humility, as he said. ' God be mer- 
ciful to me, a sinner' — I tell you," said 
Jesus, " that man went back to his home 
justified, rather than the other, for every 
one who thinks too well of himself must be 
humbled; but those who are humble God 
will exalt." 

The rest of the story is about some very 
little children being brought to Jesus. His 
disciples tried to have them sent away, for 
they did not understand Jesus ; but he 
called the little ones to him and said: 
" Suffer little children to come unto me, 
and forbid them not, for of such is the 
kingdom of heaven. Truly I say to you, 
that any one who will not receive the 
kingdom of heaven with the faith of a 
little child shall never enter there." 




THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN. Luke Xviii. IO. 



ZACCHEUS THE PUBLICAN. 

THERE was a man named Zaccheus, 
a rich man, a tax-gatherer, who 
wanted very much to see Jesus. One day, 
when Jesus was passing through the city 
of Jericho, Zaccheus, who was a small man 
and could not see over the heads of the 
crowd who were following Jesus, ran ahead 
of them and climbed into a sycamore tree. 
When Jesus reached the tree he looked 
up and said, " Zaccheus, make haste and 
come down ; I want to go to your house 
to-day." Then Zaccheus hurried down 
and joyfully took Jesus home with him. 
But the people murmured about it ; they 
said, " He has gone to visit a wicked 

97 



9S ZACCHEUS THE PUBLICAN. 

man." Then Zaccheus talked with Jesus ; 
he said to him, " Lord. I mean to give the 
half of all my goods to the poor ; and if I 
have taken anything from any man wrong* 
fully, T will give him back four times as 
much." Then Jesus said to him, " This 
day is salvation come to your house. You 
are a Jew, a son of Abraham ; you shall 
have the promised gift." 






JUDAISM OVERTHROWN. 

JESUS, one day, talking with his disci- 
ples, said to them : " Take care that 
you are not deceived. There will be many 
coming in my name, saying, ' I am Christ, 
and the end is near ; ' but don't follow 
after them. When you hear of wars and 
disturbances, don't be frightened ; these 
things must first come, but the end is not 
at once. Nation shall rise against nation, 
and kingdom against kingdom, and there 
shall be great earthquakes, and famines, 
and pestilences, and fearful sights; and 
great signs shall there be from heaven ; 
and before these come, people will perse- 
cute you, and put you in prisons, and you 
shall be brought before kings and rulers, 

99 



ioo JUDAISM OVERTHROWN. 

for my name's sake. And you will have a 
chance to testify for me ; but you need not 
plan what you shall answer, for I will give 
you words to say that your enemies shall 
not be able to answer, nor resist. You 
will be betrayed by parents, and brothers, 
and relatives, and friends, and some of you 
will be put to death ; and you will be hated 
by men, for my sake ; but there shall not 
a hair of your head perish. Be patient to 
the end, and your souls shall be saved. 
When you see Jerusalem surrounded with 
armies, then know that her desolation is 
near. Then let them which are in Judea 
flee to the mountains, and let them which 
are in the midst of it depart out, and let 
not them which are in the countries enter 
thereinto." 




JESUS FORETELLS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE. — Matt. xxiv. 2» 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

TT was the evening before Jesus was to 
■*■ be crucified that these things hap- 
pened which are in our lesson to-day. 
Jesus sent Peter and John to make ready 
the supper, that they might eat it together. 
He said to them : " When you get to the 
city of Jerusalem, a man will meet you, 
carrying a pitcher of water; follow him 
and stop at the same house. Tell the man 
of the house that the Master told you to 
ask him where the guest-chamber was in 

which he could eat the Passover with his 

103 



104 THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

disciples. He will show you a large upper 
room, furnished. In that room make all 
things ready." They did just as he told 
them, and everything happened just as he 
said, and they prepared the supper. At 
the proper time Jesus and the twelve dis- 
ciples sat down to the supper. Jesus said 
to them, " I have longed to eat this Pass- 
over with you before I suffer, for I will not 
eat of it any more until it be fulfilled in 
the kingdom of God." Then he took up 
the cup and gave thanks, and said, " Take 
this and divide it among yourselves, for I 
say unto you, I shall not drink of the fruit 
of the vine until the kingdom of God shall 
come." And he took bread and gave 
thanks, and gave the bread to them, 
saying, " This is my body which is given 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 107 

for you; do this in remembrance of me." 
After supper he took the cup and passed it 
to them, saying, " This cup is the new tes- 
tament in my blood, which is shed for 
you." 



THE CROSS. 

\ T the place which is called Calvary 

^ *» our Lord was crucified, and on the 

cross with him hung two thieves, one on 

each side. The soldiers divided his 

clothes among them, casting lots which 

should have them. He prayed for them 

all ; he said, " Father, forgive them, for 

they know not what they do." The people 

and the rulers stood about him, looking at 

him and mocking. They said, " He saved 

others, let him save himself if he is Christ, 

the chosen one of God." And the 

soldiers also mocked him, offering him 

vinegar to drink, and saying to him, " If 

you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.' 
109 - 



no THE CROSS. 

Then they wrote on a tablet in Greek, and 
in Latin, and in Hebrew, "This is the King 
of the Jews" and hung it over the cross. 
One of the thieves joined in the mocking, 
saying, " If you are Christ, save yourself 
and us ; " but the other thief reproved 
him, asking him if he did not fear God, 
since they were suffering the same punish- 
ment. " They," he said, " deserved their 
punishment, but the other had done noth- 
ing wrong." Then he spoke directly to 
Jesus : he said, " Lord, remember me when 
thou comest into thy kingdom." And in- 
stantly Jesus answered him in these words, 
k ' Verily I say unto you, To-day shalt thou 
dwell with me in Paradise." These things 
happened about twelve o'clock. From 
that time until three o'clock the earth was 




the crucifixion. — Johnxix. 25. 



THE CROSS. 113 

dark; the sun hid away. When Jesus 
cried out with a loud voice, he said, " It is 
finished ; " and then, " Father, into thy 
hands I commit my spirit ; " and having 
said this, he died. Just then the veil 
which had always hidden the inner temple 
split in two from top to bottom. 



THE WALK TO EMMAUS. 

THE third day after Jesus was buried, 
two of his friends walked to a vil- 
lage named Emmaus, which was about 
seven miles from Jerusalem. As they 
walked along they talked together about 
the sad things that had lately happened. 
At that moment Jesus himself came along 
and joined them, but they did not know 
him. He asked them what it was they 
were talking about, and why they were so 
sad. One of them, named Cleopas, asked 
him if he was a stranger in Jerusalem that 
he had not heard the strange, sad news. 
He asked them, " What news ? " And 
115 



n6 THE WALK TO EMMA US. 

Cleopas answered: " Why, about Jesus of 
Nazareth; he was a mighty prophet; his 
words and his deeds were wonderful ; but 
our rulers condemned him to death and 
crucified him. We hoped that he was the 
one who was to redeem the people of 
Israel ; but this is the third day since these 
things were done. Some women who 
were at the grave this morning, told us a 
strange story; they say his body is not 
there, and that they saw angels who said 
that he was alive ; and some of our friends 
went to the grave and found that it was as 
the women said, but they did not see him." 
Then Jesus said to them : " O what foolish 
people. How slow you are to believe all 
that the prophets wrote about this ! Did 
they not tell that Christ must suffer these 




AND THE DISCIPLES AT EMMAUS. — Luke XXIV. 30. 



THE WALK TO EMMA US. 119 

things and then enter into his glory ? " 
Then he began with the books that Moses 
wrote, and explained what he and the other 
writers had said about Christ. When they 
drew near to Emmaus the stranger acted 
as though he was going further, but they 
begged him to stop with them, as the day 
was nearly gone. So he stopped with 
them, and as they sat down to the table 
together, suddenly something opened their 
eyes to know that it was Jesus who sat 
with them. He took some bread and 
blessed it, and gave them some. Then he 
vanished out of their sight. 



THE SAVIOUR'S LAST WORDS. 

THE disciples and friends of Jesus were 
together talking of him and of the 
wonderful story that he had risen, when he 
appeared to them again and talked with 
them. He reminded them that the things 
which had happened were the very ones 
which he had foretold, and which were told 
in the Bible would happen. Then he 
explained the Bible to them and gave them 
wisdom to understand what he said. He 
showed them how it was written that Christ 
would come, and suffer and die, and rise 
again on the third day, and that repentance 
and forgiveness of sin should be preached 



122 THE SAVIOUR'S LAST WORDS. 

to all people, beginning at Jerusalem. 
Then he told them they were the witnesses 
that all these things had taken place. Then 
he assured them that he would send to them 
that which the Father had promised they 
should have, and they were to wait in 
Jerusalem until God sent them a special 
power. 

The last story that we have of the life 
of Jesus on earth was when he led his dis- 
ciples out to Bethany, and, lifting up his 
hands blessed them, and was parted from 
them and carried up into Heaven. Then 
the disciples worshipped him and returned 
to Jerusalem with great joy; and now they 
could be found continually in the temple, 
praising and blessing God. 




JESUS APPEARS TO HIS DISCIPLES. Luke xxiv. 36. 



